Immigration

Top Biden Immigration Officials Have Long History Of Left-Wing Activism, Records Reveal

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President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is chock-full of officials who worked for organizations promoting left-wing policies and immigration measures, according to records obtained by America First Legal (AFL).

The Biden administration’s DHS has been criticized for overseeing record illegal immigration at the southern border. Several high-level DHS officials responsible for handling immigration issues previously worked for organizations that promoted left-wing policies and measures to protect illegal immigrants inside the U.S., according to resumes and ethics pledges obtained by AFL.

“Americans can be sure of one thing: what the Biden administration has done to our borders and our immigration system is no accident,” Gene Hamilton, AFL’s Executive Director and General Counsel, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The Biden administration intentionally set into place policies and plans to undermine the enforcement of our immigration laws… People say ‘personnel is policy,’ and in no case is this more clear than the Administration’s staffing of DHS.”

One example of a DHS official with a history in left-wing advocacy is Felicia Escobar Carrillo, the chief of staff for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Prior to joining DHS in 2021, Carrillo worked as the director of immigration at the Beacon Fund — an investment fund organization — where she worked to develop “a multi-faceted Immigration strategy with a focus on building support for immigration reform and supporting the integration of immigrants and refugees,” according to a copy of her resume obtained by AFL.

Carrillo also worked as a consultant in 2017 at the L.A. Justice Fund, a firm that provides legal counsel to illegal immigrants during deportation proceedings, according to her resume and the organization’s website. In 2001, Carrillo worked as a policy analyst for the National Council of La Raza — later renamed to UnidosUS — which was founded in 1968.

The group has advocated against voter ID, workplace enforcement and national security laws that the organization claims would hurt the country’s immigrants, according to the Capital Research Center. The organization has been a proponent of immigration amnesty and attempted to stifle those who oppose it, once leading a “We Can Stop the Hate” campaign in 2008 calling critics of amnesty “hate groups, nativists, and vigilantes.”

Carrillo is also a member of the non-profit organization Leadership Council for Women in National Security. The organization urges the federal government to make “strategic plans” based in part on “commitments to diversity and inclusion.”

Eva Millona became DHS’ Assistant Secretary for Partnership and Engagement in 2021. Millona previously served from 2008 to 2021 as president and CEO of the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), an organization that has backed immigration bills in the Massachusetts state legislature, including the Safe Communities Act, according to her resume obtained by AFL. The Safe Communities Act would prevent state and local law enforcement from coordinating with the federal government in deporting illegal immigrants. MIRA also supported a bill called the Tuition Equity Act, which would allow illegal immigrants to attend public universities on the taxpayer’s dime. (RELATED: ‘That’s A Joke’: Biden’s Demand For More Border Agent Funding Misses The Point, Former CBP Commissioner Says)

Millona was the co-chair and board president of the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) from 2010 to 2021, an organization that has advocated for a “Path to Citizenship for All Undocumented Immigrants,” according to her LinkedIn profile and the organization’s website.

Another example is Bitta Mostofi, who started as the senior advisor to the director at USCIS in 2022. Mostofi worked as an attorney for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago chapter in 2007, according to her resume.

CAIR describes itself as “America’s largest Muslim civil liberties organization,” but has been criticized for promoting antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric; CAIR’s president and founder, Nihad Awad, said in November 2023 that he was “happy to see” Hamas attack Israel on Oct. 7 and kill nearly 1,200 people.

The Biden administration previously aligned itself with CAIR to combat antisemitism, but distanced itself from the organization in the wake of Awad’s comment.

Royce Murray started her role as the counselor to the Secretary at DHS in 2021. Murray has previously worked at a series of organizations promoting immigration reform policies, including at the American Immigration Council from 2016 to at least 2019 and the National Immigrant Justice Center from 2013 to 2016, according to a copy of her resume obtained by AFL, both of which provide legal services to immigrants claiming asylum in the U.S. or who are facing deportation.

During her tenure as a human rights and immigration law consultant, Murray also worked for the National Immigration Forum, an organization that promotes “earned legalization for those among the eleven million who pose no threat to the public,” according to her resume and the organization’s website.

Avideh Moussavian is the current chief of the Office of Policy and Strategy at USCIS, having started the role in 2023. During her tenure, she has worked to implement policies allowing for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) to obtain parole status and come to the United States under the Biden administration’s CHNV program; over 400,000 immigrants hailing from these nations have been flown into the U.S. since Biden took office in 2021.

Before DHS, Moussavian worked in various positions at the National Immigration Law Center from 2013 to at least 2020, where she led “advocacy campaigns” to defend Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and temporary status-protected immigrants, and legally challenged Trump administration-era policies such as the Muslim travel ban, according to a copy of her resume obtained by AFL.

Moussavian co-authored a report in 2020 discussing legal services for illegal immigrants and advocating “to abolish immigration detention and to guarantee universal representation at the local, state, and national levels.”

Moussavian posted a tweet in 2018 with the hashtag “abolishICE” — referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement — declaring that the agency was “misleading the public and making our workplaces less safe.” In another tweet from 2019, Moussavian advocated to “defund” ICE and Customs and Border Protection.

Since Biden took office, illegal immigration has skyrocketed since 2021. There were roughly 1.6 million migrant encounters at the southern border in fiscal year 2021, compared to over 2 million in fiscal year 2023 and over a million in the first six months of fiscal year 2024, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

DHS and USCIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.